Egypt rebuffs new reports of secret military offensive in Libya

As reports continue to emerge that Egypt has been involved in secret airstrikes on Islamist targets in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an official statement on Monday denying any military involvement in the turmoil-plagued country. 

The statement comes just a day after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also refuted militants' allegations that the Egyptian Air Forces were targeting militant hubs within Libyan borders.

However, an article published in the US-based New York Times (NYT) on Monday quoted four US officials as confirming that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates had conducted four joint military air attacks on Islamist militias in Tripoli over the last week.

The officials said that Egypt and the UAE had “acted without informing Washington or seeking its consent, leaving the Obama administration on the sidelines. Egyptian officials explicitly denied the operation to American diplomats.”

The Foreign Affairs Ministry, however, continues to deny this and other reports of Egypt’s involvement in Libya’s rapidly deteriorating internal conflict.

“Egypt condemns any attempts to involve it in the internal affairs of Libya. Egypt confirms its situation in support of the Libyan people and its rejection of any foreign intervention in Libya’s affairs,” the ministry’s statement said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry is currently in Libya to propose an Egypt-authored cease-fire initiative that would halt the increasingly violent conflict between forces loyal to rogue military general Khalifa Haftar and Islamist militia groups, which some analysts warn may soon escalate into a full-blown war.

Egypt's proposal stipulates an immediate cease-fire between all parties in order to create the possibility for an inclusive political process in Libya, which would include the gradual disarming of all political fractions. The initiative also exhorts any countries currently supporting Libya’s militias to immediately halt the supply of arms and weapons, and also proposes increased border security to prevent arms smuggling.

Egypt is also pushing for a ban on weapons imports by any parties other than the Libyan government, a joint effort to fight terrorism by identifying and eradicating its funding sources, and supporting legitimate Libyan institutions such as the parliament.